Alf, I read that blog post and can't believe he STILL travels with his mom and professor.That has to be one completely screwed up environment.

Yes, it's sad. Sometimes I wonder what'd happen if he suddenly lost them. Would we have a new deranged but artistically amazing pianist, like Pogorelich (in whose case the roles of mother/wife and teacher were united in one person)?

_________________"A conclusion is simply the place where you got tired of thinking" - Anonymous

Today I attended another Kissin concert in Chicago, and just like the last time I saw him play, I was completely stunned by his amazing skill/talent/technique. Really, he was so good, I wish you all could have been there with me. He played an all-Liszt concert which was this:

I'm not going to go into great detail about each piece because Kissin's playing was just so great on all of them that I'd be repeating myself. Suffice it to say, that his trills, his rapid-fire octaves, lightning-speed arpeggios, dynamics, tone shadings, and well...everything else was perfect! Almost inhuman - like he's really a god or something. His fingers, the way they trickle up and down the keyboard (which happens a lot in Liszt's music) is unbelievable. So delicate, and the way he can control the dynamics through everything...well...I just can't describe it. I'm still floating....

One interesting tidbit - during the Sonata In B Minor, a string flew out of the piano. I've never seen that happen live before. What is strange, is that it was not during one of the loud, powerful parts of the sonata, but during one of the softer parts. All of a sudden this 'thing' flew up and onto the stage and at first I thought I was seeing things. But nope, it was a string. Guess it was just that string's time to go. A technician replaced the string during intermission.

Another thing - an incident happened last time Kissin played in Chicago where someone's cell phone starting ringing as Kissin was playing. The embarrassed knucklehead was sitting on the stage (overflow seating) and right in front and near Kissin. Well, it happened again today! Only difference is that today's knucklehead was on stage but in the second row so we couldn't see him/her.

Almost forgot the encores...he played three of them. I did not recognize the first one. The second one I did recognize and I'm singing it my head right now, but darn if I can remember what it is. It has to be either Schubert of Schumann, but I think it must be an arrangement by Liszt because there were a lot more notes in it. Actually, I think it was two or three pieces tied together...oh, oh, oh....I know it....argh...whatever it was, it was very nice...like better than the originals. The third piece was the ever-popular Liebestraum which was a beautiful way to end things...like it gave everyone a chance to catch their breath.

Well, that's about it. I think I am now going to go and practice arpeggios for the next two years without stopping. And for the fashionistas out there - Kissin dressed in a classic black tuxedo, complete with long tales. Very formal.

_________________"Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties." ~ Frederic Chopin

Sorry to Kissin-lovers here, but I was recently very disappointed at his playing. I follow the Verbier Festival on the internet every year and nearly every year he comes to play. But what I heard was (for years) highly polished but neither inspiring nor inspired performances. Strangly only the halfs of each recitals (from the two recitals by him there) were published on the web (does it mean that the rest of them were even worse?), and even though therefore each published recital was very short, I couldn't listen to them to the end with patience. What he played I cannot completly remember, in any case I heard the most boring rendition of Schumann's Fantasie-Stücke op.12 from him. But I admit there are bunch of excellent playing of him on YT.

_________________Hye-Jin Lee"The love for music. The respect for the composer. The desire to express something that reaches and moves the listener." (Montserrat Caballé about her main motivation for becoming a singer)

Sorry to Kissin-lovers here, but I was recently very disappointed at his playing. I follow the Verbier Festival on the internet every year and nearly every year he comes to play. But what I heard was (for years) highly polished but neither inspiring nor inspired performances.

This is exactly what renowned critics have been writing over the years. With all his formidable technical prowess, he seems artistically dull at times.

I admit there have been one or two recordings of his that I was not crazy about but I just can't help it, I think he's one of the greatest players out there! Maybe he also just likes Chicago because he always plays his heart out when he's here.

_________________"Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties." ~ Frederic Chopin

My wife and I also attended in Chicago. Full house, great audience response (as expected).

I felt the same as I always do when I hear Kissin live. He has a tremendous technical prowess and his sound is incredible. But when he plays works with larger structures such as the Liszt Sonata, he has some trouble maintaining the overall structural thread. I think the Liszt Sonata is so much greater than the manner in which he played it. He is no longer a child prodigy; he is a grown man who, by now, should be playing at the highest artistic level.

I enjoyed the shorter selections more.

In my opinion, Kissin is a great pianist. I hope he eventually fulfills his potential of becoming a great artist.

I can't claim to know the sonata as well as you, liszt1970 , so of course I couldn't listen with as critical an ear. I believe you though since you are the expert. And thanks for supplying the names of the encores, Alex. I knew I was close and that they all had to be Liszt.

_________________"Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties." ~ Frederic Chopin

Great technique, but I've always had reservations about his sound, finding it a bit monochromatic. In Liszt, I'd much rather listen to Bolet (for tonal qualities) or to Berman or Cziffra (for excitement).

I've always had reservations about his sound, finding it a bit monochromatic.

I couldn't agree more. I like Berman and Cziffra, too, although Cziffra perhaps only in small doses; it becomes a bit like listening to/watching a circus act after a while For me, I guess Horowitz is tops on Liszt, with Michael Ponti's and Jerome Rose's performances of various works also coming to mind (Jerome Rose does IMO a magnificent performance of the Annees on Vox Box and for such a bargain, but I'm not sure it's still available )

Kissin was really, really good. No doubt about that! It's all just our personal opinions at this point. You can't please all the people all the time...

I disagree that Kissin and Pogorelich's playing are similar in any way whatsoever. Pogorelich infuses his playing with the essence of his real-life experiences, many of which are extremely painful; Kissin's playing shows his accomplishment and mastery of the piano because that's what he knows.

I have always considered Kissin, together with Pogorelich, not as a pianist, but as an acrobat.

Even though I expressed reservations against Kissin, I find this remark unfair, Richard. There are (unfortunately) many famous pianists now, who have amazing technique, but no interpretatory depth which would have to go with that technique. The two pianists on your comment don't belong to that category at all. (Pogorelich was a great artist.)

_________________Hye-Jin Lee"The love for music. The respect for the composer. The desire to express something that reaches and moves the listener." (Montserrat Caballé about her main motivation for becoming a singer)

Aw you guys, I wish you could have heard him play. I really can't see how it can get any better than that!

OK, when other pianists criticise Kissin, there's a certain component of jealousy. We all wish we had his superpowers when it comes to physical mastery of the instrument. So I've been holding my tongue, not commenting in this thread for fear that it would sound like sour grapes. I can't do what he does, so how dare I criticise?

I have heard Kissin play live, and it was indeed awesome. I was deeply impressed. But I've also heard Pollini play live, and the physical side of playing the instrument was very much in the background, secondary to the revelations about the music itself. It was simply on a different plane. I don't know whether Pollini could play, say, Feux Follets as quickly and as prettily as Kissin can, but such questions don't seem to matter.

So, with regards to Kissin's playing, you ask how could it get any better than that? I could say that Pollini (and a few others) changed my life, whereas Kissin merely impressed me.

I don't know his name, but the only time I have been "blown away," literally in "shock and awe," and literally dumbfounded with my mouth hanging wide open at a pianist, was when I saw the Co-Winner, Chinese BLIND pianist, in the Van Clibun International Competition. I shall never be more shocked in my life by a pianist!

_________________Eddy M. del Rio, MD"A smattering will not do. They must know all the keys, major and minor, and they must literally 'know them backwards.'" - Josef Lhevinne

I don't know his name, but the only time I have been "blown away," literally in "shock and awe," and literally dumbfounded with my mouth hanging wide open at a pianist, was when I saw the Co-Winner, Chinese BLIND pianist, in the Van Clibun International Competition. I shall never be more shocked in my life by a pianist!

That would be Nobuyuki Tsujii, the Japanese blind pianist. Yes he is nothing short of a miracle.

I don't know his name, but the only time I have been "blown away," literally in "shock and awe," and literally dumbfounded with my mouth hanging wide open at a pianist, was when I saw the Co-Winner, Chinese BLIND pianist, in the Van Clibun International Competition. I shall never be more shocked in my life by a pianist!

That would be Nobuyuki Tsujii, the Japanese blind pianist. Yes he is nothing short of a miracle.

His existence itself is a miracle. But I'd like to be able to simply ignore his physical disability and concentrate myself on his music. I always tend to be distracted by my respect to that human being, which lies outside of musical evaluations.

_________________Hye-Jin Lee"The love for music. The respect for the composer. The desire to express something that reaches and moves the listener." (Montserrat Caballé about her main motivation for becoming a singer)

His existence itself is a miracle. But I'd like to be able to simply ignore his physical disability and concentrate myself on his music. I always tend to be distracted by my respect to that human being, which lies outside of musical evaluations.

This is true. It should not matter whether a pianist is blind, or only 3 years old, or has no arms, or whatever. In practice, it does matter greatly and it inevitably colors our appreciation. I think there are not so many blind classical keyboard players (the famous organist Helmut Walcha comes to mind).It's an incomprehensible achievement.

Look at Rodrigo, the blind composer, yet he lever let that out and there he is right. If you are good you will be remembered for that, not because you have some disability or because you can play upside down (was there not the violinist who played Beethoven's violin concerto with the strings facing downwards?). That is what I call an acrobat.

I know I have heard a great musician when I do not wonder how he manages to play piece A or B but when I am enthralled by the way he plays them. Technique is completely forgotten. In this discussion I see mostly the former: amazement, but not sentiment.

Is that not what we hear of Paganini?

Would I go to a Kissin concert? I doubt it, partly because of price, but mostly because I am a very odd pianist (if I may call myself so) in that I am not very fond of either Liszt or Chopin and that seems the staple diet if one is great.

_________________Richard Willmer"Please do not shoot the pianistHe is doing his best."Oscar Wilde: Impressions of America: Leadville

So, with regards to Kissin's playing, you ask how could it get any better than that? I could say that Pollini (and a few others) changed my life, whereas Kissin merely impressed me.

That's very interesting, Alexander. I've seen Pollini play live three times. The first time I remember that I very much liked his Debussy Preludes. The second time I was more disappointed because he played my two favorite Chopin nocturnes too fast (IMO) like he was in a hurry to get out of there. Funny - that's all I remember about that concert. But the last time I saw him my opinion swung back to the positive. He played all the Chopin Preludes - probably the best I've ever heard them.

_________________"Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties." ~ Frederic Chopin

I don't know his name, but the only time I have been "blown away," literally in "shock and awe," and literally dumbfounded with my mouth hanging wide open at a pianist, was when I saw the Co-Winner, Chinese BLIND pianist, in the Van Clibun International Competition. I shall never be more shocked in my life by a pianist!

That would be Nobuyuki Tsujii, the Japanese blind pianist. Yes he is nothing short of a miracle.

Well said! Thanks for the correction and id.

_________________Eddy M. del Rio, MD"A smattering will not do. They must know all the keys, major and minor, and they must literally 'know them backwards.'" - Josef Lhevinne

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